When the San Francisco Giants signed Logan Webb to a 5-year, $90 million extension back in April, my cynical brain ignored that Webb was good and focused on the timing.
The Giants were 5-7 and had just lost two out of three to the Dodgers in Oracle Park. This was after an offseason of pain and intrigue that compelled Larry Baer to insist that fans just wait and see how a stew of players would wind up being a five-star meal. When that didn’t materialize right away — the Dodgers loss followed a series loss to the Royals, after all — I saw the extension as a sign of panic.